Transom tilt switch - this is the most useful change I've made to the boat. As to doing it yourself, as long as you're comfortable drilling holes, go for it. Know, however, that the Volvo switch has a connector on it (as if intended to be plug & play) but my dealer spent half a day on the phone with Volvo trying to figure out how to splice it in because there was no mating connector on the boat. They had to figure out where in the harness to connect it.
Transom stereo remote - got it, but have used it maybe 3 times in as many years. Actually, I think if it was just the wife and I, we'd use it more. With the kids, we never have time to just hang out on the porch and relax. As to a remote on the passenger side, maybe the '08's are different - but isn't the head unit over there where she can change whatever she wants?
Stock sub - no rattles here.
Batteries - I don't think the factory will do this, but be prepared to have them both moved to the port side, otherwise there's a good chance you're going to have a starboard list. Many 230/240 owners have had to do this.
Props - no, no detectable difference. I had it done because of a thread on another board where a guy had taken his props to a shop with a lab-quality balancing machine, and there was lot of discussion of the benefits. On a whim I took mine out to my local "old school" prop shop to have the balance checked, and was surprised that they were both out of balance even though brand-new. The owner explained to me that VP balances their props at the factory (of course), but they do it before installing the hubs - and the hubs are big and heavy enough that they can throw off the balance. So I went ahead and had them balanced again. I knew of no problem beforehand and detected no changes afterward.
Other stuff:
- I'd remove the mounting screws from the windshield (one at a time!) and put a small dab of silicone on the threads of each one just to keep them from backing out. All of mine along the front kept backing out until I did that. The sides never did it, but it would be good insurance.
- Go around and double check tightness on all clamps (but you'll need to do that again after the first season!).
- Every time you do any work on the boat where you can see the mfr. name, part number, serial number, etc., take time to record it. Some day, that part will fail and you'll be glad you've got the information already available to get the replacement. I keep all mine in my Pocket PC.
- Wax.
- Treat all the vinyl with 303 a couple of times.
- Wax.
- Decide whether you're comfortable with the Carlisle tires.
- Wax.
- Get a roll of little trash can liners to keep in the boat for the "kitchen."
- Decide what size fenders to buy - I thought I had what I wanted and found out I wanted much bigger ones the first time we slipped the boat on a trip.
- Decide what size lines to get and invest a little into some nice ones - they're worth it IMO.
- Figure out what kind of anchor to start with, but be prepared for the possibility that the first one may not be what you end up with. I've got a 15# Digger that I've used twice, that I should probably sell because I don't intend to use it again.
- I don't know if this has changed since '05, but the stock lights in my gauges weren't bright enough. Quite a few people complained about it at the time. The reason was that they used standard incandescent bulbs with colored rubber boots over them. The boots knocked the light down to where it was unusable until it was almost completely dark outside. I wound up switching all my helm lights to LED's, which also gave me the option of changing colors. The stock lights were blue, now they're red, which doesn't make your pupils close at night, and they generate no heat to discolor the gauge faces over time. Here's a comparison photo. There are 3 large gauges. The one on the right has the stock blue bulb, the left two have the red LED's. This photo is underexposed, so all 3 of them were brighter than this, but this gives you an idea of how much difference it made.
- Based on recent discussions, if you didn't opt for the bow scuff plate, I'd definitely add it now.
- Wax.
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